IndiGo Airlines has launched new flight services from Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad, improving air connectivity to nine Indian cities. The new routes were officially inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.
2nd Airline to Operate from Hindon
IndiGo is now the second airline to operate from Hindon Airport, after Air India Express, which started flights from here four months ago. These new IndiGo flights will connect Hindon Airport to major cities such as Bengaluru, Kolkata, Varanasi, Goa, Patna, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Indore.
“This is a great moment for Hindon, Ghaziabad, and western Uttar Pradesh. It shows the success of the UDAN scheme, which is making air travel more accessible to the common people,” said the Civil Aviation Minister.
Boost for Regional Air Travel
The minister highlighted that over the past 10 years, India’s airline fleets, airport capacities, and number of flyers have doubled. He said that from 2024 to 2034, air travel will expand quickly in smaller cities, and Hindon Airport will be a good example of this growth. Hindon will now work alongside Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, giving NCR residents more travel options.
UDAN Scheme and Future Plans
Hindon Airport was built in 2019 under the UDAN scheme with a 50 crore budget, with/help from the Indian Air Force. According to the minister, in 2019, Hindon served around 8,000 passengers a year. That number has now grown to more than 80,000.
The government has major plans to grow India’s aviation sector. In the Union Budget 2025-26, it announced a new version of the UDAN scheme. The goal is to add 120 new flight destinations and serve 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years.
Launched in 2017, the UDAN scheme has helped connect smaller cities and improve air access across the country. The government wants to make India a major centre for air travel around the world by 2030.
